Thomas Ridings
About Thomas Ridings
Thomas J. Ridings is Managing Director and Chief Accounting Officer at Arbor Realty Trust (ABR). He joined Arbor in 2013 and oversees accounting operations and financial reporting, including budgeting and internal audit; he is a Certified Public Accountant and previously held senior audit, risk, and accounting roles at W. P. Carey, Computer Associates, and Ernst & Young . He is 57 years old . Company performance context: ABR reported 2024 net income of $283.9M and distributable earnings of $358.0M, with multi-year volatility in TSR versus the FTSE Nareit Mortgage REITs peer group .
| Metric | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Net Income ($USD) | $196,157,197 | $377,806,794 | $353,827,809 | $400,556,657 | $283,918,655 |
| Distributable Earnings ($USD) | $234,866,670 | $313,728,736 | $405,695,825 | $452,478,707 | $358,019,878 |
| Company TSR (Value of $100 from 12/31/2019) | $110 | $153 | $122 | $158 | $164 |
| FTSE Nareit Mortgage REITs TSR (Peer) | $81 | $94 | $69 | $80 | $80 |
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Years | Strategic Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| W. P. Carey Inc. (public REIT) | Executive Director; Chief Audit Executive; Chief Risk Officer; Chief Accounting Officer | 2004–2013 | Built and led audit, risk, and accounting functions for a diversified global property owner |
| Computer Associates (public software) | Accounting and financial reporting roles | 2000–2004 | Managed reporting processes in a complex global software environment |
| Ernst & Young | Assurance services (various positions) | 1990–2000 | Foundational audit experience across industries; CPA credential |
External Roles
No public-company directorships or external board roles were disclosed for Ridings .
Fixed Compensation
Not disclosed in the proxy (Ridings is not a Named Executive Officer). Arbor’s philosophy emphasizes competitive base pay but a lower proportion of fixed cash relative to incentive pay for executives in real estate finance; base salaries are set by tenure, scope/complexity, and performance contributions .
Performance Compensation
Specific incentive metrics, targets, and payouts for Ridings were not disclosed. Arbor’s program broadly emphasizes “pay-for-performance” with annual cash incentives and equity under the Stock Incentive Plan; for NEOs, 2024 awards were determined by contributions and business line impact and equity often follows multi-year vesting schedules .
Equity Ownership & Alignment
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Beneficial ownership (common) | 128,648 shares; less than 1% of shares outstanding |
| Special voting preferred stock | None |
| Ownership guidelines | Covered Officers (EVP+ and Section 16 Officers) must hold stock valued at 2× base salary by 12/31/2027; compliance measured annually at the higher of year-end or quarterly average stock value |
| Hedging/pledging policy | Covered persons may not trade derivative securities, pledge Arbor securities as collateral, or hedge holdings |
| Clawback | Executive officer clawback policy applies to incentive comp in the event of a restatement; recovery from Covered Officers as specified |
| Recent Form 4 activity | 03/18/2025 filing shows equity award reported (12,185 units; $0 price) and tax withholding for vesting (4,399 shares at $12.31); direct holdings reported 128,648 shares |
Insider transactions detail:
| Date (Filed) | Transaction | Security | Shares | Price | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-03-18 | Equity award reported | Equity units | 12,185 | $0.00 | Grant/accrual reported; form-level detail in filing |
| 2025-03-18 | Tax withholding (Code F) | Common | 4,399 | $12.31 | Net share settlement for taxes on vesting |
| 2024-03-13 | Form 4 filed | Various | — | — | Prior-year filing for scheduled awards/vests |
Notes:
- Arbor historically favors restricted stock over stock options; options have not been broadly granted, though the committee retains flexibility for future grants . Form 4 categorizations may label RSUs as derivative; rely on filing details per links above.
Employment Terms
- Employment: Executives other than CEO generally employed at will; no severance or individual change-of-control cash agreements disclosed for non-NEOs .
- Change-of-control: For NEO restricted stock awards, agreements provide full vesting upon a change of control; Ridings’ specific award agreements were not disclosed .
- Insider trading and disclosure controls: Company maintains insider trading and Regulation FD policies governing selective disclosure and trading by insiders .
Investment Implications
- Alignment: Ridings holds 128,648 common shares and, as a Section 16 officer, is subject to strict anti-pledging/hedging rules and new stock ownership guidelines requiring 2× salary by 12/31/2027—supportive of alignment and potential incremental accumulation before the deadline .
- Selling pressure: Recent Form 4 shows tax-withholding–related disposals tied to vesting rather than open-market selling; no discretionary sales disclosed—neutral for near-term selling pressure .
- Retention risk: No individual severance or guaranteed change-of-control cash protections disclosed for Ridings; retention is driven by ongoing equity awards under the Stock Incentive Plan (multi-year vesting) and pay-for-performance culture, which can be a stabilizer during industry cycles .
- Governance and risk: Company-level clawback, anti-pledging/hedging, and ownership policies reduce agency risk; company performance has been cyclical with changing TSR and earnings trends—execution in accounting, controls, and risk management remains critical for mortgage REIT credibility .